


heir, apparently

by MissMairin



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Video Game World, F/M, M/M, Multi, Virtual Reality
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2018-08-28 13:48:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8448370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissMairin/pseuds/MissMairin
Summary: Tadashi has never been much of a gamer. The most he's ever played is the Sims 3, and that's only because he loves designing houses and making relationships. However, when he gets a gift certificate to the new virtual reality center from Shouyou, he's dropped into the virtual reality gaming world. Suddenly, he's royalty and must survive the virtual world to live and become an heir, apparently.





	1. ready

**Author's Note:**

> as if it wasn't obvious... this is based on the book heir apparent.  
> \+ so i posted this chapter before as an intro... since then, i deleted the intro and replaced it with an actual chapter one, which is much longer (and better!) than the intro chapter.

 

> Happy birthday, Shouyou had said.

 

It’ll be fun, Shouyou had said. 

 

Yeah, right, Tadashi thinks. Shouyou is a big, fat liar. 

 

Tadashi loves Shouyou, he truly does, but he would have been better off buying his friend a pair of socks for his birthday. Tadashi looks down to the gift certificate he’s holding in his hands, and then looks back up. He sighs. The present is great in theory: a gift certificate to one of those virtual reality gaming centers. However, the fact that there’s a group of people protesting the store makes him feel just a tad bit anxious. Tadashi takes a bold step forward and freezes, getting cold feet. Now Tadashi wishes Shouyou really had gotten him socks. He could use them right about now. 

 

Should he really be here, right at this exact moment? What happens if the protesters see him going inside and eat him alive? He really doesn’t want to be in the morning news, at least not that way. Tadashi glances again at the certificate, and then his phone. A recently opened message from Shouyou is displayed, going on about how excited he is for Tadashi, and how he has to know every single detail about the visit. There’s plenty of emojis, too. Tadashi feels bad. He knows his friend worked his butt off at his newest job to get a discount on this present. Yet, here he is, debating whether or not he should actually use it. It’s also kind of a problem that Tadashi put this off until the last day the gift certificate is good for. But that’s another story. 

 

With the thought of his best friend in mind, he takes the last few steps up to the store. Surprisingly, the demonstrators move out of the way. They don’t even say anything to him at all. So far, so good. The hard part is over, Tadashi thinks to himself, as he pushes the revolving door open and walks inside. 

 

Yeah, right, he thinks again. 

 

Just as one difficult part is finished, another one pops up. Inside the virtual reality center, there’s hundreds of games that Tadashi has never seen before. An array of video game terms lines the outside of each pod that contains a game. For a split second, he actually thinks the words are in a different language, but no. He’s just that innocent. Tadashi gapes, wide eyed at all of the different machines. There’s even a miniature roller coaster built around one of the pods named  _ A Streetcar Named Death.  _ He shivers. Sounds wonderful. Once again, he wonders if he should truly be here. Unfortunately, he can’t let his friend down. Every time Shouyou is disappointed by something, he gets  _ that _ expression on his face. It’s a mix between a kicked puppy, and a crying toddler. The expression itself is ugly, but it physically hurts Tadashi to see it. He also knows he’s not the only one affected. That’s partly how Shouyou got the discount for this gift certificate. He’s got everyone in the palm of his hand.

 

He takes a deep breath, and glances around, slower, this time. Ignoring all of the — quite frankly, terrifying —  video games, he makes his way into the area labeled RPG. This term he  _ does _ know — it stands for role playing game, something that is right up his alley. Maybe he’ll find a cute romance game where he has to decide between two people, and fall in love with one of them. That sounds fun. He wouldn’t mind a game where everyone fawned over him and had to fight for his affections. That one’s good, too.

 

Instead of a purely romantic game, Tadashi stumbles upon a pod named  _ Heir, Apparently _ . The picture displayed on the front is of a young man in what seems to be medieval clothing, shrugging and looking utterly confused. Tadashi can relate. Reading the description, it doesn’t sound too bad. The main character is the offspring of the king’s once-mistress, and it turns out, they are the heir to the throne. Apparently. The problem is the main character knows nothing of his lineage or royal tradition, nor anything about the other princes and princesses that are also fighting for the throne. Interesting. Tadashi reads further down, looking for the options of the game. 

 

_ Heir, Apparently is a medieval sci-fi role playing game where you can become the heir to the throne. Pick your gender, your sexuality, and befriend someone of the royal family to help achieve your goal. Some may like you, and some may detest you. It’s up to you to figure it out, and become the true heir to the throne. Play now! _

 

Curious about the “pick your sexuality,” part, Tadashi decides this is the game he wants to play. He briefly wonders if the game needs the sexuality and gender of the main character so there can be a main interest created specifically for the main character. He hopes so. Some romance to offset the sci-fi part would be perfect. Tadashi smiles, maybe this won’t be as bad as he thought. The game seems simple enough, after all. He tries to open the pod, and immediately feels like an idiot. It’s locked. Of course — this place wouldn’t just let anyone play for free. Shaking off the embarrassment, he looks around and spots a front desk. Tadashi makes his way to the front counter and stands there, awkwardly. The man at the front counter smiles politely at him, and asks, “How may I help you today?”

 

“Well, I have this gift certificate from my friend, but I’m not really sure what perks it actually gives, and how I use it,” Tadashi admits, kind of shy. He hands the gift certificate to the man (cashier?), and explains, “Do I actually use that as the way to unlock the mod? Or do I have to trade it in for something else?”

 

The man’s eyes soften, and takes pity on him. It must be incredibly obvious that Tadashi is new to all of this. He’s not sure if that pity makes him feel better or worse about this entire thing. The man ducks under the counter, and brings out a card, similar to a credit card. He hands it to Tadashi and explains, “Here. Your gift certificate is good for a two hour session of virtual play. This card is programmed for two hours, so insert it into the pod you want to play in, and it’ll count down. If you want to play a different game, just take it out and it’ll stop until you insert it into the next game.”

 

Tadashi blinks. That makes sense.

 

“Also, most games are programmed to take about an hour to finish, since time within the game goes at a different pace from real time,” the man continues. He goes over the basics without being asked, and Tadashi is grateful for that. Glancing around, he adds, “Not a lot of people seem to be here today. The demonstrators probably scared them all off, so you lucked out. You have the choice of any of the games here. Do you have any idea which ones you want to try?”

 

“I was thinking about playing  _ Heir, Apparently _ . It seems casual enough for a new player like me, and I definitely do not want to play any of those games full of gore,” Tadashi answers, and shudders. Those games are terrifying, even more so if they’re realistic. The man at the counter raises an eyebrow, and hums. A warning bell goes off in Tadashi’s head, and he starts to get anxious. “What? Why? Is it a bad game?”

 

The man pauses, and thinks. He rubs his neck and says, “It’s … not really our most popular one. I heard it gets frustrating with how easily you can die and get sent back to the start. There’s lot of backstabbing, too. But I think you’ll be fine. Like you said, it’s one of the easier games for those casual players. Plus, there’s some serious diversity. All of the characters change depending on the settings you put in for the main character. It’s quite cool, actually. I think you’ll probably enjoy it.”

 

Tadashi sighs a breath of relief. That makes him feel better. If the only thing about it is being frustrated, then bring it on. He’s a master of overcoming frustration. He thanks the man behind the counter and heads over to begin his journey into the virtual reality world. If he’s being honest with himself, he’s kind of excited. He’s heard a lot about how real these things really feel, how it’s almost like a dream. 

 

The card reader is easy to find, right on the side of Heir Apparently, next to the door. Tadashi slides his card in, and leaves it there. The virtual reality pod lights up, and he’s more than ready to play. He opens the door — unlocked, finally — and steps into the pod. There’s a small, comfortable looking seat on one side of the pod, and on the other is a wide screen, with two bottom shelves. The screen boots up as Tadashi takes a seat on the cushion, and he startles as a smooth voice announces,  _ Welcome to Heir, Apparently! Are you a beginner or an experienced virtual reality player? _

 

On the screen, there are two options to choose from. Beginner. Experienced. It’s evident exactly which one Tadashi is, especially when he spends a solid two minutes looking for a mouse, until he finally realizes it’s a touchscreen. Hopefully no one records these things. He might die of embarrassment if they did. He reaches out and selects the beginner option with his own hand. It’s an unfamiliar feeling, but interesting. He could get used to this. 

 

The voice speaks again. 

 

_ Welcome, new player. Please take a seat _ . Tadashi complies, and the screen in front of him changes to show some sort of blueprints. He realizes the blueprints are of the items on the two shelves. Just as he starts to read about the items, the door on his left clicks shut, and he jumps. He tries to open the door, but it’s locked. Once again. A panic attack starts to form until the same smooth voice calms him down.  _ Thank you for picking Heir, Apparently. The pod is now secure, and will start the tutorial. If you wish to skip the tutorial, say “skip.” [...] _

 

There is no way he’s skipping that tutorial.

 

_ [...] Thank you for your patience.  _

 

The walls on either side of Tadashi begin to change to match the blueprints on the front screen. Even the door matches the screen. He gasps. The entire pod is a screen. He glances behind him, looking at the wall his back was against. It, too, is a part of the screen. Incredible. 

 

_ As shown on the screen, there are many important items to be able to take full advantage of the entire virtual reality world. Please take the gloves from the top shelf, and put them on. You may need to roll up any pants or long sleeves. After that, secure each of the circular sticky monitors to the following locations on your body.  _

 

Tadashi scrambles into action. He doesn’t want to get left behind in the tutorial. He’s not even in the game yet, how could he get lost? Rolling his long sleeves up, he quickly slides the gloves on, and grabs a monitor. Luckily, the voice had paused there. Perhaps he hadn’t been the only one to be this slow in these kinds of tutorials. He briefly thanks whoever made this game that they realized even idiots like him play these games. The tutorial even pauses in between locations to give him enough time to catch up. 

 

_ Please secure the circular monitors onto your pulse points located on either side of your neck, [...] on either arm at the inside of your elbow, [...] and on your wrists. The tutorial will pause until you are ready to continue. Please say “ready,” when you are ready to continue. _

 

“Ready!”

 

_ Now place the circular monitors from the lower shelf onto your abdomen, stomach, and chest. Spread them out evenly, as shown on the screen. Try to match the placements up as close as possible. These keep track of your vitals, helping the game be as accurate as possible with your many movements. [...] Your legs do not need any monitors, since the helmet will be able to tell when you want to move your legs from the other signs in your body, such as arm movements, heart rate, muscle movements, and, of course, both your unconscious and conscious thoughts. _

 

“Thoughts?” Tadashi asks out loud. That doesn’t make sense. There’s no way that the virtual reality helmet could tell when he wanted to move his legs just the way his brain works now. It’s a video game, not an actual human brain. He didn’t expect an answer, but he got one anyway.

 

_ The VRWEleven Helmet for virtual reality gaming is the best of its kind. Not only does it read vital signs like state of the art medical equipment, but it is designed to attach to your brain and interpret thoughts, actions, and orders the same way a human brain would. Basically, it is a brain. It uses the information that is programmed to work alongside your own brain to essentially re-create the human brain and its information into a brand new brain specifically for this game. You are, as the main character, quite literally getting your own brain. You are not playing the main character. You are not just controlling the actions of the main character. _

 

_ You  _ **_are_ ** _ the main character. _

 

Tadashi breathes out a long breath. This is not what he was expecting. Is this how it was for all virtual reality games, or just this one in particular? There’s not a danger risk for this, is there? After all, according to the tutorial, the brain and the helmet are connected. What happens if something goes wrong?

 

The screen changes from all of the blueprints to something that looks more like a legal document. A consent form, probably. The voice recites the consent form, going on about how it’s at the player’s own risk to get into the game, and the corporation isn’t responsible for anything that malfunctions regarding the games. There’s a lot to it, and Tadashi gets more anxious the more the voice recites. Eventually, the area to sign the consent form pops up. The screen gives him an option to sign his name, saying he agrees with the terms and condition. The problem is Tadashi doesn’t know if he does agree. 

 

He almost never agrees. Maybe that’s the problem, instead. When has Tadashi ever done anything dangerous? Never, that’s when. Maybe that needs to change. The excitement from earlier starts to bubble up again, and Tadashi realizes he wants to play. There hadn’t been any news that say these machines are dangerous. It’s probably the same level of danger that driving is, he reasons to himself. Tadashi takes a deep breath. Is this what the main character would say? The main character is gearing up to be the heir to the throne of a very powerful family. Would they chicken out of something just because it might be a little dangerous? No, of course not. Tadashi may chicken out, but the main character wouldn’t. And right now, he’s not Tadashi — he’s the main character.

 

With a smile, Tadashi signs the consent form.

 

_ Thank you for your participation. We hope you enjoy the game. Please take the helmet from the bottom shelf and put it on. It will do the rest without prompt. There might be a quick sting, but do not worry. It is just the helmet connecting to your brain. [...] Now, without delay, are you ready to become an heir? _

 

“Ready,” he breathes.

  
  
  
  
  
  


_ Please enter your name. _

 

T

T  A

T  A  D

T  A  D  A

T  A  D  A  S

T  A  D  A  S  H

T  A  D  A  S  H  I

 

_ Thank you for your input, Tadashi. Now, please enter your age, gender, and sexual/romantic orientation, _ the voice from the video game says. Did he hear correctly? Sexual and/or romantic orientation? Interesting. He could understand the age and gender components, but did the game really change depending on his sexuality? If it did, that would be awesome. He’d have both princesses and princes to flirt with. Even if they end up being his enemy — still, wonderful eye candy. Tadashi smiles, entering his demographics. 

 

Age: 21 — wait, 22, his birthday was yesterday. 

 

Gender: male

 

Sexual/romantic orientation: bisexual

 

The feeling of entering his sexuality without worrying about it feels great. No one’s going to judge him — at least, not anyone real. This could be fun, Tadashi decides. He presses enter, and everything goes black. 

 

He blinks his eyes open, and is nearly blinded by how… colorful everything is. The — fake — sun shines directly into his face. From the itchiness of his arms and the feel of grass underneath, he gathers he’s in a meadow. Tadashi sits up, glancing around. Not only is the area a meadow, but it belongs to a small farmhouse at the edge of the grass. 

 

“Tadashi, don’t forget to feed the pigs and cows!” a female voice yells. Somehow, he recognizes that the voice belongs to his mother. Or, at least, this character’s mother. Who just happens to be him. It’s … an interesting concept. Tadashi locates the pen with the pigs and cows when the voice reminds him, “Wait! Just remember, don’t feed the horse!”

 

He stands up, fully expecting to be dizzy and falling over, but he doesn’t. The technology really is incredible. He actually feels like a farm boy, the entire situation feels so  _ real _ . A 10/10 for the “reality” aspect of the game. Tadashi makes his way to the pen, and the animals immediately react. The oinks and moos are deafening. He climbs the fence, grabs the pail of grain, and distributes it to the pigs and cows. In the corner, separated by yet another fence, is the horse. He feels bad. The poor horse doesn’t even have any food, it must have eaten all of its hay already. Tadashi takes a step towards it. Is he imagining it, or does that horse somehow look sad? The thought  _ why the long face  _ comes to mind and he laughs. He’s funny, really. 

 

It’s unfair, he decides, that the horse can’t be fed. What if it’s starving, and it  _ dies _ because of him? Tadashi unhooks the latch to the extra fence and steps inside the horse’s stall. Grabbing some hay from the rest of the pen, he gently extends his hand, trying to feed the horse. At first, it goes well. The horse seems to trust him, and steps forward, eating out of his hand. A sudden  _ clang! _ from the fence closing scares both the horse and Tadashi. The horse whinnies painfully and rampages inside the small stall. Tadashi steps back in fear, trying to get to the fence, but he doesn’t make it. The horse tears through the stall, kicking in circles. A well aimed back-kick from the horse gets Tadashi, and he collapses.

 

All Tadashi can feel is pain, even simulated pain still hurts. His vision fades, and he’s himself again, back inside of the game booth. A black screen pops up, with an annoying, flashing message:  **YOU ARE DEAD.**

 

He’s confused. Thankfully, the game’s voice elaborates.

 

Medicine, in the time period and location that  _ Heir, Apparently _ is based on, is not advanced enough to heal your wounds from the horse. The medicine would not be enough to help you recover from a severe concussion, and internal bleeding. This is your first death of the game. 

 

Please try again.

 

Replacing the flashing message of YOU ARE DEAD are two options. He can either quit, or be put back in the game and try again. Tadashi doesn’t process the options right away, he’s too busy laughing at how he died. Well, he always knew he was bad at video games.

 

“Did I really just die in the first five minutes, because I fed a  _ horse _ ?” he asked aloud, and laughed again. It might be a dumb way to die, but he’s got to give the game credit. It’s realistic. He’s sure plenty of people had died from being kicked by a horse, or from internal bleeding. All he has to do, like the voice said, is to try again. 

 

Tadashi selects the “try again” option, and he’s transported back into the game. He opens his eyes to find himself in the exact same spot that he started in originally. As he sits up, his mother yells for him to feed the pigs and cows — and to not feed the horse. This time, he listens to his mom. He feeds the animals, ignores the horse, and makes his way to the farmhouse. 

 

Outside the house, he notices a fancy carriage-type thing, and a dapper looking man on the porch. He’s talking to his mom, and she looks terrified. Tadashi stops, and hides behind the porch to listen to the conversation. 

 

“Are you… saying that the king really is dead?” she asked, her facial expressions changing constantly. First, fear, then sadness, and confusion. She sighed, telling the man, “It’s been so long since I’ve even seen him. Tadashi doesn’t even know… What does this mean for us?”

 

“Well, ma’am, your son is a blood relative of the king. Even though you were a maid, not nobility, your son is still technically…” the man trails off. He adjusts his coat, and steels himself. “Your son is still technically a prince. He has a right to the throne, as well. Just as the rest of the royal family does.”

 

_ So that’s how I become heir, _ Tadashi thinks to himself. He should have known it was his mom. That’s how all his favorite dramas go. He doesn’t really want to become king right away, though. Can’t he just chill here with his fake mom and the cattle? But that’s not the game. 

 

Sighing, he steps out from the side of the porch, and stands next to his mom. It’s obvious  that he heard everything — both his mom and the man don’t bother asking. He asks, “Do I really have to go right away? I don’t really want to become king.”

 

“Nonsense!” his mother interrupts him, slapping the back of his head. “You could do so much good for the kingdom. As you know, there has been… quite a lot of evil in the village areas, lately. You could fix it, you could be a hero!”

 

Tadashi doesn’t bother arguing. This game is all about becoming royalty, it’s going to happen whether he argues or not. He glances at his mom, and nods. Out of the corner of his eye, he thinks the dapper man’s eye twitches, but he ignores it. “I guess I will go. However, I can’t promise anything.”

 

“All I want is for you to try,” his mom says, smiling. She pats his arm as Tadashi steps forward, ready to leave. Both men turn to leave, but she stops them. “Wait! Tadashi, let’s go greet your father, first. Send back the carriage, we will discuss it as a family, and drop Tadashi off… as a family.”

 

Cute, but no. This game needs to get a move on, he’s getting emotional about a fake family. Tadashi shakes his head, telling her, “No, I’ll just go now, with the carriage. I don’t want to waste anyone’s time.”

 

The man nods, leading Tadashi into the carriage. He’s even nice enough to help him up. Tadashi waves to his mom, and suddenly, they’re on their way. The two men make menial chat, until the carriage comes to a fork in the road. At first, he thinks they have stopped to decide which way to go. He’s wrong. Dead wrong.

 

“This is the end of the road, _ prince, _ ” he hears the man snarl. Tadashi doesn’t even see his killer, he only recognizes burning pain in his neck, and a twist of a knife. His vision fades, once again, and that obnoxious black screen pops up. 

 

**YOU ARE DEAD.**

 

Tadashi doesn’t bother listening to why he died — he knows why he died. Yet another stupid reason, but understandable. He selects the try again option, and is transported back into the game before the voice stops talking.

 


	2. re-do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *** ch1 editing !!  
> re-read chapter 1 -- much has been added & edited!
> 
> anyways... im so sorry it took me like.. 10 months to do an update lmao i kept working on other stuff but hopefully i can do updates quicker now.. but thank you guys who are consistently cheering me on! it rly helps keep me motivated haha
> 
> ALSO YACHI/TSUKISHIMA is one of my fave friendship pairings!!!!! love it!! they are so opposite but they understand each other and im… gonna get emotional lmao

 

 

By now, Tadashi has figured out a little bit of the game. As long as he doesn’t die, and doesn’t repeat his previous deaths, the game progresses much quicker. For example, he knows not to feed the horse, and to not go with the man in the carriage. He actually kind of enjoys the game, especially since he knows he doesn’t have to win. Exploring and interacting is all he wants to do, anyways. 

 

At the moment, he’s meeting his “father” for the first time. The fact occurs to him that his fake father is actually his fake  _ fake _ father. He’s not blood related to him, his  _ real _ fake father is the king. What an ordeal, but how … fun. Half of him is being sarcastic, but half of him truly is excited. There’s a plotline, and so far so good.

 

Tadashi realizes he had been zoning out, too busy confusing himself with his multiple fathers. He nods, trying to pretend like he had been listening. Tuning into the conversation, he hears his mom say, “... good for the kingdom! Right, Tadashi?”

 

“Um, yeah, right.” Tadashi looks away sheepishly. She may be his fake mom, but he still feels bad not listening. He changes the topic, if only to get the attention off of him. “Should we be leaving soon? If we are going to walk, it may take a long time.”

 

His mother smiles at him, and his dad laughs, leading him to an area behind the barn. Well. Apparently their family has a carriage, too. It’s nowhere near as fancy as the one from the palace, but as long as it has wheels, it’s great. Tadashi really didn’t want to walk, even if this wasn’t real.

 

At least he knew he wouldn’t die in this carriage.

 

Without wasting any time, he helps his mother into the carriage, and his family is off. A few minutes into the carriage ride, he notices that the horse. It’s the same one that killed him. Tadashi isn’t sure how he feels about that. He distracts himself by making small talk with his family. It’s helpful, actually. They know a lot about the world, so he slowly learns about the game.

 

According to his mother:

 

The king had five children, only three were blood related to him. One was Tadashi, of course. There are three princes, and one princess. All siblings are vastly different, so he’s supposed to be careful in the castle. The last person to be wary of is the Queen. It has been said she’s as evil as she is pretty — and she’s beautiful. Two of the princes are her kids, from her previous marriage. 

 

“She may be beautiful, but her soul is ugly,” his mother says, making a face of disgust. His father can be heard laughing from the front of the carriage. Tadashi obviously looks confused, because she takes pity on him and explains. “Right before I gave birth to you, she found out about me and the king. Out of spite, she spread rumors about me. She didn’t even run me out of town, she made it so I had to leave.”

 

His mother sighs. That kind of memory must be difficult to recall. Tadashi smiles softly at his mom, and wraps an arm around her. She sighs again, and looks wistfully out the window. There’s a pause, before, “I loved him. The Queen may of had the King’s crown, but he never loved her. I had his heart. He had mine. I just hope … that you are treated better. You are royalty, now. Do not forget that.”

 

“I won’t,” Tadashi murmurs. For a moment, he has to remind himself this is just a game. He had been getting irrationally angry at the Queen. How could she do something so cruel to his mom? He vows to keep this in mind, while he’s at the castle. He tells his mother as much, and she smiles.

 

The carriage slips back into easy conversation. His dad is funnier than he would have expected. Tadashi’s laughed quite a few times already. The relaxed atmosphere helps the time go by. Before he knows it, the carriage is pulling up to the outskirts of the castle. He stares out the window, and can’t help but feel butterflies. This is it. Now the game really starts. He’s actually royalty, and he’s excited about it. 

 

The castle finally comes into full view and he’s … surprised. Tadashi’s imagination of castles and royalty mainly comes from extravagant movies and dramas with plenty of funding. This is … different. He had been half-expecting the castle to be spread out on a huge area of land, with architecture that could be in a museum, something to marvel at. The castle is actually relatively modest. Nothing’s made out of gold, either. 

 

A servant opens the door to his family’s carriage. His father jumps down first, and holds his hand out. Tadashi’s mother takes the hand, and jumps down, her husband steadying her. Cute. His parents take the lead, and they make their way to the castle. 

 

“Welcome,” a woman greets once they had passed all the greenery. She stands at the entrance to a wide courtyard — a type that seems relatively public. Further back is a huge, stone door, guarded by two men. That must be the real entrance to the castle. The woman speaks again, some kind of small talk. Tadashi carefully notices two servants behind her, and how different the clothes are. Hers are much more fancy, but nowhere near as fancy as actual royalty.

 

He decides the woman must be the one in charge. Tadashi racks his brain for anything he learned in school about nobility and class. He sighs. Who knew he’d use his history classes outside of school? The title that comes to mind is the Lady—in—waiting, a court lady that is the assistant to the royal family. Basically, a right hand man — or woman. 

 

“Shall we?” the Lady—in—waiting asks. He assumes there’s going to be a tour, he hadn’t been listening. Again. The woman smiles, as if she’s trying to be comforting, but all Tadashi feels is goosebumps. He’s sure he had seen a glint in her eyes, and there was nothing comforting about that smile. Was that purely the animation, a coincidence? Or was the game trying to tell him something? Another unsettling smile, and then, “Right this way.”

 

He  _ really _ hoped it wasn’t the game trying to tell him something.

 

The Lady—in—waiting turns to leave, without waiting for any confirmation. His parents obey without an issue, following her towards the stone doors. Tadashi feels uneasy about the woman, but he doesn’t want to be left behind, especially in an unknown world. He hesitates, unsure what to do. The servant that had met him at the carriage stares at him, and Tadashi shivers. Why are there so many odd people? He shakes it off, and jogs to catch up with his family.

 

“... made out of pure stone, yet sealed enough to keep the temperature stable,” the Lady—in—waiting is saying. His parents are nodding, hanging off of every word. The look everywhere, trying to take in everything at once. As the woman keeps talking about the features, Tadashi is vividly reminded of his college visits. Even then, his real parents had needed to know everything, while he hung back, vaguely listening to the student tour guide. He chuckles to himself. Nothing ever changes.

 

The campus tour — uh, the castle tour seems to go on forever. She had taken the group through the gardens, stables, stuff like that. They have yet to be inside the castle. At this point, Tadashi has long tuned out the Lady—in—waiting. Finally, she’s leading them to the stone doors. The guards open the doors, welcoming his family to the castle. At least  _ someone _ seems friendly. Their smiles don’t send shivers down his back. The Lady—in—waiting leads his parents into the castle. He’s about to follow them inside, but something stops him. 

 

To his left, there’s a small pathway leading to a beautiful courtyard, filled with greenery and flowers. A small gathering of people piques his curiosity. What’s going on over there? Without hesitation, Tadashi jumps off the steps, walking towards the group of people. As he gets closer, he realizes they aren’t just any people — they’re soldiers of the castle. They’re all jeering and hurling insults toward the center of the group, but it’s too dense to see what’s in the middle.

 

“I’m sorry!” a young voice yells. Tadashi barely hears it over the noise of the crowd. The voice keeps apologizing, and he realizes who’s in the center. A young boy, barely ten years old, is being jostled by castle soldiers. “I’m sorry! I’ll never do it again just —  _ please _ — don’t hurt me!”

 

“You shouldn’t have stolen from the royal family. You brought this upon yourself,” a soldier yells, and like clockwork, the crowd disperses. The shaggy haired boy is brought into view, and Tadashi’s startled to see that he’s been tied to a pole. Hostility rises in his stomach, and peaks when he notices the eggs on the ground. 

 

This boy — no, this little kid, he’s being hurt and insulted all because he stole some eggs? Sure, maybe they were from the royal farm, but who cares? Really, it’s not as if the royal family couldn’t afford to buy more chickens. Yet, this kid, skinny beyond belief, is punished for taking some eggs? If anything, he’s the one who should have more food. This is why all these people used to die in the history books.

 

Tadashi can feel outrage pulsing throughout his body, and yet, his feet don’t move. His mouth doesn’t open. He’s royalty, too, but he can’t do anything to help. Unbelievable, he can’t believe himself. All he has to do is take a step, say something, anything to fix this. It’s a mere few steps to this kid, so why can’t he do anything? His cowardice doesn’t disappear in the game, it seems.

 

The boy’s eyes widen, and he squirms on the pole. While Tadashi was busy with self-hatred, he hadn’t noticed the man with a crossbow at the edge of the courtyard. He hadn’t noticed the man and woman that entered, as well. Tadashi followed the boy’s line of sight, and oh my god. A crossbow. Were they — were they really going to execute him just because of some eggs?

 

Now, this is  _ definitely _ the time for him to step in. He has to, he can’t just let this kid die. As if in slow motion, Tadashi watches as the man loads his crossbow, and aims. Am I really going to be like this? After all this time, am I going to let my own self-esteem get the best of me? Tadashi takes a deep breath in, and out. He closes his eyes, pushes all thoughts out of his mind, and takes a step forward.

 

Well, this isn’t what he had in mind.

 

Everything had gone silent. Tadashi opens his eyes, only to find himself kneeling in front of the kid. That’s not all. For some reason, there was an intense … pain. He can’t even pinpoint the beginning of the pain, just everything hurts. The boy whispers something to him, and Tadashi looks down.

 

Oh.

 

There is an arrow is sticking out of his chest.

 

“Seriously?!”

 

**YOU ARE DEAD.**

 

“No kidding,” Tadashi snaps at the black screen. He skips the  _ why am i dead part _ , and lingers only long enough to notice his death count. Three, already. At least he’s learning — slowly, but surely. With no hesitation, he selects the “try again” option.

 

Tadashi easily goes through the first two re-start areas. By now, he knows: don’t feed the horse, and don’t go with the royal carriage man. He can also add to the list: do  _ not _ jump in front of the arrow. 

 

The entire time he waits for the game to get back to the castle, he’s seething. He honestly can’t believe he was that stupid. Sure, he knows he’s a coward, so acting out like that was a big deal — but he’s not an idiot. If he wanted to save the kid, why didn’t he stop the archer? So simple, and yet… 

 

Tadashi frowns, and shakes his head. At least he knows what he’s going to do now. He’s been through it once, so it won’t be too bad to stand up for the kid this time. Well, that’s what he’s hoping. When he had noticed the arrow in his chest, most of the soldiers didn’t seem to care. He knew the kid did, obviously, but there was someone else… Two people, actually. A man and a woman, they had looked ashamed and, frankly, hysterical. In that order. Tadashi feels like, even if he stops the kid from being killed, he will have two people that don’t totally hate him. Right?

 

Before he knows it, he’s at the castle again, and the weird Lady—in—waiting is beginning her tour. At the same time as his last life, he leaves and finds the kid in the crowd. The soldier yells, everyone disperses, just like last time. However, this time, he does see the man with the crossbow enter — he sees the man and woman, too.

 

This time, he’s ready.

 

“What are you doing?” Tadashi demands, summoning his most authoritative voice. The fact that he really is royalty helps. He stalks towards the soldier, and rips the crossbow out of his arms. Ignoring the cut from the arrow, he continues his rant. “This boy can’t be more than ten, and yet you are going to execute him for stealing a few eggs?”

 

The soldier’s expression quickly changes into disgust, like he’s already determined Tadashi is worthless. Jokes on him. The soldier spits at the ground, and Tadashi just smiles. He can tell the smile pisses him off, because he opens his mouth to retort.

 

He never gets the chance. With a smile, Tadashi turns to face the boy, asking him if he’s okay. There’s a bunch of cursing from behind Tadashi, but he ignores it. The kid is more important, especially because he’s smiling back, and, wait, why did he stop smiling? 

 

“Watch out!” the kid screams.

 

Tadashi doesn’t even have time to comprehend what’s going on. All he can do is turn back around to face the soldier, expecting the worst, wondering if he should run away. What he sees, instead, is something right out of a drama. The soldier had brandished a knife, obviously on his way to stab Tadashi, likely in the neck. Yet, the knife never met skin. Above Tadashi, the soldier’s arm had been intercepted by someone else’s hand. His eyes trails from the hand, to the arm, and finally to the person who had saved him.

 

The man, from before. He had walked in with the woman — he was the one who looked regretful. Well, he certainly had redeemed himself. Tadashi opens his mouth to thank him, but apparently he wasn’t done. The man gripped the soldier’s arm hard enough that the knife dropped, and just like a drama, twisted the arm behind the soldier’s back. He leaned forward, whispering, “I hope you know you just committed treason. You tried to kill a member of the royal family, you piece of shit. Do not touch him again.”

 

Not to be a broken record, but seriously, just like a drama, Tadashi can feel his heart flutter. That was so … cool. He almost wishes that this was the type of game where recording was available… to see that on loop would be amazing. The man finishes up, telling the other soldiers to get this “oblivious dumbass” out of their way. Tadashi stares at him, admiring everything about the situation. Well, until he stares straight back at him. Tadashi quickly looks away.

 

The woman comes bounding over, like she’s actually jumping up and down. She tries to talk, but too much comes out at once that it’s impossible to hear. The man puts his hand on her head, as if that was the off button. It works, sort of. Calming herself down, — at least, a little, — she splutters, “I can’t — you did — is he ?? — are you okay? is  _ everyone  _ okay? oh my god, I’m not okay—”

 

“Hitoka,” the man says, and Tadashi swears he can see a soft smile. “Calm down. What did we say about deep breaths? Relax. You’re making yourself anxious. I’m fine. That guy won’t be allowed to return. Blah blah, everything’s fine. Happy?”

 

The woman — Hitoka, apparently, — half-heartedly glares at him, but sighs. Instead of continuing, she turns to Tadashi, and asks, “Well, are you okay? How are you, that must have been terrifying. I was terrified and panicking — and I wasn’t even involved!”

 

“You’re always panicking.”

 

“Be quiet, Kei,” she says, smacking him on the arm. She huffs, ignoring him. Immediately, her expression softens when she looks at Tadashi. Suddenly, Tadashi feels all warm and fuzzy inside. Hitoka is beautiful and cute at the same time. Beautiful in the sense that it is quite obvious she is a good person. Cute, well, she’s just really cute. She smiles brightly at him and asks, again, “Are you doing alright?”

 

Tadashi nods, not trusting his voice. To be honest, that was scary, even if this is a game. All the other times he had just plain old died, but this time, he was about to experience it. He saw how it would happen. The image of the knife hovering above him still freaks him out. He smiles, though, and says, “I’m okay, now. Thank you for asking. Um, may I ask who you two are?”

 

Kei scoffs, but Hitoka just smiles. 

 

“Of course! We know who you are, Prince Tadashi, since we were all expecting you. However, since you were raised in the country, you may not know us,” Hitoka answers, curtseying as a greeting, “I am Princess Hitoka, daughter of the late King Raven and deposed Queen Josi. This tall dummy is Prince Kei, son of the Queen and her previous husband, Sir Shiro.”

 

Tadashi blinks. “Do you really introduce yourselves like that?”

 

“Yes, and it takes forever, believe me,” Kei says, rolling his eyes. “Especially when there are royal balls, we have to introduce ourselves to many people. There are also two others of us, so. Yes. I hate it.”

 

“Um, okay,” Tadashi mumbles, unsure if he should or not. He bows towards Hitoka first, and then Kei. “Hi, uh, I’m Tadashi — um, Prince Tadashi, son of the late King Raven and Hanna.”

 

Hitoka grins, clapping happily. “Great! I know some people in the castle may not want you here, but I do!”

 

“You do?” Kei and Tadashi ask simultaneously. They glance at each other, knowing exactly what they meant. Tadashi, in disbelief, and Kei, in bewilderment. Tadashi crosses his arms and says, “Well, I’m glad someone does, since I have no idea what I’m doing here.”

 

Kei laughs, “Obviously.”

 

Tadashi glares at him, but it’s not worth it. He’s going to be in debt quite a while — Kei literally just saved his life. Turning back to Hitoka, he asks, “Are there any tips you can give me for surviving here?”

 

“Yeah,” Kei cuts in, “Stay away from the Queen.”

 

Hitoka pauses. Then, quietly, “Yes.”

 

There’s a long silence, and Tadashi is dreading going into the castle. If his mother, Hitoka,  _ and _ Kei, who is the Queen’s son, all warn against her, then how is he going to survive? It’s impossible, this game is impossible.

 

“Well, nevermind that,” Hitoka says cheerfully, obviously trying to change the subject. She latches onto Tadashi’s arm like they’re old friends and asks, “Do you want a tour of the castle? I mean, like, a real one. Where you learn stuff you actually need to learn, not  _ what type of flooring this is _ ? or _ breakfast is in the morning _ ! It’ll be helpful, I promise.”

 

Tadashi doesn’t even hesitate. “That sounds great. Wait, but before we go, I do have a question. It’s probably dumb, but… it’s kind of important.”

 

“Ask away,” Hitoka replies. She smacks Kei for him to pay attention — he had been drifting off into his own world, or something. “We will both try to answer your question. Well, mostly me, but. Still.”

 

He smiles. She is so cute. He knows that they will be close friends, for sure. It already feels like Tadashi had known Hitoka in real life, like she was a real person. At the very least, she’s his favorite person in the game as of right now. Tadashi is relieved that he has someone on his side, someone that tells him what he needs to know.

 

“Okay, even if it’s dumb, you’ve got to answer it! You promised,” Tadashi jokes, grinning at Hitoka. Kei makes a vomit noise somewhere to his left. Ignoring him, Tadashi asks, “Why am I even considered for the throne? I mean, there are plenty of other, better options. Like, seriously, the Queen is still in power, why can’t she be ruler?”

 

Hitoka pauses, like she’s thinking of a way to explain. Kei beats her to it, yawning, “Mainly because King Raven said he wanted you to be next in line. But it’s whatever, it’s not like any of us real princes or princesses wanted the throne at all.”

 

“Don’t say it like that, Kei,” Hitoka scolds him. She lets go of Tadashi’s arm to pull Kei down by his collar to make eye contact. Her scolding must be effective because he huffs and rolls his eyes. Hitoka does a cute version of a smirk, reminding him, “It’s not like you wanted the throne, you just like complaining. Anyways, Tadashi, the other reason is that you cannot rule the kingdom as a queen… you’ve got to be a man. A king.”

 

What? Seriously?

 

Tadashi can’t believe that in a virtual reality game, something so far advanced, that it asked him his sexuality, that women can’t be rulers. If anything, Tadashi knows many women who would make much better kings than kings. Stupid game. When — if — Tadashi becomes king, he’s going to make a law that queens can rule the kingdom. Otherwise, if he can’t make the kingdom a better place as a king, then what’s the point of this game?

 

He sighs.

 

“What the hell, that’s ridiculous. That’s so sexist,” Tadashi complains. He really doesn’t understand. “Honestly, just let a queen rule. What can a king do that a queen can’t? Hitoka, just from what I know of you, the kingdom would flourish if you ruled the area. This doesn’t make any sense.”

 

Tadashi sees Kei glance at him, like he was contemplating something, but he chooses to ignore it. If Kei wants to argue then he can argue, otherwise he can be quiet. Hitoka wails, throwing her arms around Tadashi in a hug. If she was not incredibly small, the hug would crush him. Instead, it’s just endearing.

 

“Thank you! I’ve always wanted to help this kingdom…” Hitoka trails off, smiling sadly. She’s quiet for a second, then springs back into being positive. “At least I can still help people, as a princess! Not all is lost.”

 

“The only thing that is lost is you, Hitoka, when you go out on your own,” Kei says, half being serious, half teasing. The sound of a stone door opening draws his attention, and he sees his mother descending the stairs. “Well, happy time is over. Hitoka, lead the tour would you?   
  


“What? Why—”

 

Kei nods his head in the Queen’s direction, and grabs onto both Tadashi’s arm, and Hitoka’s hand. He pulls them in the opposite direction, exaggerating a bright, fake smile. Kei points to his left, saying, “Welcome, I am your tour guide today, and on your left you will see some grass. On your right, well, some more grass. Behind us? A female dog. Let’s pick it up, people, our tour is very short!”

 

“That’s actually a passionflower, on your left, Kei,” Hitoka corrects. Still, it’s funny. Tadashi wonders why Kei dislikes his own mother so much. Maybe his tour will explain. Once Kei lets go of them, Hitoka jumps in front of them both, hands on her hip. She grins, announcing, “Hi, I am also your tour guide, and I’ll be telling you all about the castle! Are you ready, Tadashi?”

 

“Don’t do it,” Kei says, “Her tour sucks.”

 

Tadashi laughs. These two… it’s really obvious they care about each other. He respects that. Hopefully he can befriend both of them, and complete the game. Tadashi nods, saying, “Let’s go — but I want both tours at the same time. I want to see some more grass from Kei!”

 

Kei snorts, looking away from him. “Fine. I can co-tour guide with Hitoka. Let’s see here… Ah, to your left, some more grass. Except that’s dying, a little bit. Not so green anymore. But on the right! What do you know, more grass.”

 

“That’s actually a cloverfield, Kei.”

 

“Now we’re coming up on some _ really  _ cool grass.”

 

“Hydrangeas.”

 

“Grass.”

 

“Snapdragons…”

 

He laughs. Tadashi can tell he’s going to enjoy the tours.

 

 


	3. required

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um i almost gave up on this but im still going to try to finish this. eventually.

“... while on our right, there is the throne-room. Which just so happens to also be the end of our tour,” Hitoka says, stopping in front of the giant door. Their tour had Tadashi throughout the entire castle, with Hitoka telling him interesting facts, and Kei making fun of everything. It took quite a while. The door to the throne room opens, and two guards begin to announce their small group. Hitoka sighs, and leans over to Tadashi, “Well, that was the end of part one. We will continue part two, later.”

 

Tadashi wonders what part two could possibly be — the tour had been incredibly helpful: he’s able to navigate the castle without getting lost, who to talk to for food, more blankets, etc. Apparently, he even has a personal maid. He’s yet to meet her, but he hopes she’s nice. 

 

Glancing around the throne room, the entire royal family is there. Well, that’s probably what the part two of the tour is. He’ll learn about the family, and hopefully, ways to  _ not _ have them kill him. There’s got to be some tips for that, right?

 

Kei is introduced, and walks forward. Hitoka is not far behind. They stand together, bowing and curtseying in front of the Queen. Finally, the guards announce Tadashi, his whole royal title and all. He fakes a smile, and follows Kei’s lead, bowing as well. Stumbling, he’s unsure of where to stand — Kei and Hitoka took their side next to the remaining siblings. Where does Tadashi stand?

 

He doesn’t even get the chance to ask.

 

“Well, it’s nice to finally meet you, Tadashi,” the Queen drawls, and disgust fills Tadashi. He doesn’t miss the fact that she referred to him as Tadashi, not Prince Tadashi. Not only that, but she gives off a weird vibe, like the evil queen in Sleeping Beauty. Any moment, she’ll change into a dragon and devour Tadashi whole. 

 

She doesn’t, just continues talking. 

 

“I will forego the introductions, as I am sure you are well aware of who I am,” the Queen smiles. Tadashi shivers. The smile practically drips with evil. She gestures to the princes and princess, saying, “I think you all are mature enough to introduce yourselves, I hope?”

 

“Yes, Mother,” a deep voice says, nearly startling Tadashi to death. The voice belonged to the prince standing the closest to the Queen. Probably one of her bloodline kids, and not the King’s blood-line. The prince plays that part well, that’s for sure. Despite Tadashi being relatively tall, the prince stands much taller — both figuratively, and literally. He’s kind of scary. As Tadashi watches the prince, his eyes drift down and is suddenly aware that he has a huge sword hanging from his belt. He hopes the sword is big to compensate for something, and not because he actually kills people with it. 

 

While Tadashi had been rambling in his mind, the Queen had walked out, leaving the siblings alone. The vague feeling of someone analyzing him is finally what halted his inner monologue. He glances around, and accidentally makes eye contact with the third prince. A mistake, apparently. The prince grins and strides over to him, bowing sarcastically. “A pleasure to meet you, Prince Tadashi.”

 

Tadashi just stares. Kei and Hitoka are looking at him, and Hitoka gives him a thumbs up. Well, this prince can’t be too bad, if Hitoka approves of him. Tadashi smiles politely, asking, “... and you are?”

 

“Oh, pardon me! I am Prince Tooru, though you can call me anytime,” Tooru says, winking at him. Before Tadashi can react, Tooru slings an arm around his shoulders, sighing dramatically. He points at the scary-looking prince from before. Now, he’s chatting with some guards by the door. Well, it’s more like he’s only listening. Tadashi wonders how someone could voluntarily speak to him, when Tooru tells him, “That thing, my dear Tadashi, is Prince Wakatoshi. He can’t even be described as human. Just like his mother, really.”

 

“He’s not that bad,” Hitoka interjects, joining the conversation. Kei follows, glaring daggers at Tooru. Unlike him, Hitoka smiles at both Tooru and Tadashi, saying, “I thought we might join you. Well, this is more like a rescue mission. My brother seems to have … overwhelmed you. He does that a lot.”

 

Tooru gasps, looking scandalized. Another look from Hitoka, and he grumbles, removing his arm from Tadashi’s shoulder. Finally. He sticks his tongue out at his sister, “Happy?”

 

“Much better,” Hitoka answers, faking applause. Ignoring her brother’s eye roll, she says, “Should we do some real introductions? Not flirty, fake, or exaggerated ones like yours, Tooru. Tadashi needs to know real information if he wants to survive here.”

 

Survive, huh…

 

Ha.

 

Not likely.

 

“Fine,” Tooru says, briefly crossing his arms. His upbringing gets the best of him, though, as he bows quickly towards Tadashi. “I’m Prince Tooru, son of the late King Raven, and his previous wife, deposed Queen Josi.”

 

Tooru goes on and on more about his princely-ness, but Tadashi tunes him out. Instead, he leans over to Kei, whispering, “You weren’t kidding when you said you all had to introduce yourselves like that.”

 

Kei snorts, but quickly pretending like nothing happened. Tooru pauses his introduction with a glare. A small bubbly feeling at the bottom of his stomach makes Tadashi smile. He’s … proud, that he was able to make someone laugh. Not just anyone, though. Kei. Tooru sighs dramatically, and guilt floods Tadashi. He had ignored a lot of what he said, and he feels bad. With a brave smile, Tadashi asks, “Tooru, can you please repeat what you had said?”

 

This seems to do the trick. Tooru smiles brightly and seems to be himself again. It’s incredible what can make people happy. Tooru explains again. “Okay, so. The basics: I do not care about the throne whatsoever. Tadashi, you can have it, I couldn’t care less. I want to be able to live my own life and achieve my dream of becoming a knight.”

 

“A knight?” Tadashi wonders. Perhaps to save damsels in distress? Maybe because knights seem cool, and they get great armor? “Why a knight, out of all things?”

 

Tooru pauses. Then, he admits, “Partly because it seems cool. Mainly because it requires intelligence and problem solving that isn’t restrained. I don’t want to be tied down to the castle, I want to go out and help people. People that everyone else didn’t want to help. That’s why.”

 

Wow. That is actually a wonderful reason. For a moment, Tadashi almost admires him. He seemed so cool and mature…

 

Then, a young maid enters the throne room, carrying a heavy bundle of items. Likely to clean the thrones. Tooru runs over immediately, taking the box from her. He winks at her, and says something. Tadashi doesn’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that he’s flirting with her. The maid laughs, tucks her hair behind her ears, smiles back at him, and … 

 

Well, there goes the coolness and maturity.  

 

PAUSE

 

  
  
… RESUME

 

Kei and Hitoka take him to chambers hallway, pointing out where they live, and where Tadashi would be staying. Walking down the hallway, Hitoka finishes up some final introductions. “Prince Wakatoshi isn’t a bad guy, Tooru just … doesn’t like him. He’s blunt, and follows his mother’s orders. I don’t think he’s evil, just … misguided. He’s actually very reliable, too! I know whenever I have a problem that he’s able to help.”

 

“Really?” Tadashi asks, thinking about the first impression. Still terrifying. The sword, too. “He’s kind of scary. Oh, also… does he use that sword to actually kill people?”

 

Hitoka is silent. 

 

Kei takes a moment, and answers, “Yes. He is the head of the soldier guard, and is in command of anything relating to the military. It is not unusual for someone in that profession to kill people. Wakatoshi just happens to be a prince, too.”

 

Tadashi’s not sure how to feel about that. He’s strictly against murder — in real life, though, he keeps reminding himself. This is not real life, it is a game. Murder is just something that happens, right? Tadashi sighs, “I just … I don’t see how anyone can personally kill someone.”

 

“You’d be one of the first,” Kei says. He rubs the back of his neck and like he knows this is all a video game, explains, “This land… you have got to do stuff differently than somewhere else. It just happens. That doesn’t mean you can’t find allies, or people that agree with you.”

 

Hitoka nods enthusiastically, “Yes, yes! I also am against murder, I cannot see how people are able to do that. So much blood…”

 

“On that … positive note, this is your room, Tadashi,” Kei says, pointing to the wooden door on their right. It’s half open, and he can see a small middle age woman rushing around. Kei stands under the doorway and calls out to her. He’s actually … smiling. This is the first time Tadashi has seen him smile. Hitoka notices, and takes pity on him.

 

“This woman, once Kei’s mother married the late king, she basically raised Kei. The Queen had thrown Kei away when he did not have the ambition to be King, and focused all her energy on Wakatoshi,” Hitoka explains, leaning in to keep her voice down. She sighs, obviously reminiscing. “This was right after both her son and husband had died. She adopted him, really.”

 

“They fixed each other, when they were both broken,” Tadashi murmurs. Everytime he learns something new about the royal family, he’s thrown off. The facts are all different from what they look like, and everything is more intertwined than he had expected. But for now, he enjoys it. 

 

The woman turns around and a smile blooms on her face when she notices Kei. She hurries over, hugging him tightly. When she lets go, she takes a long look over him. Perhaps to make sure he is still in one piece. She decides he’s okay, and then smacks on the chest. “My little bean sprout, how could you not come visit me in a week?”

 

“Don’t call me bean sprout,” Kei complains, but he doesn’t look too upset. He pats the maid on her head and says, “I’m sorry I have not been able to see you, Rania. There was an excursion I forgot to mention, and the castle has been chaos. Actually, that’s why we’re here.”

 

Kei turns slightly, gesturing to Hitoka and Tadashi. He tells her, “Rania, this is the Prince Tadashi that has made everything crazy. This is his room.”

 

“Welcome, Prince Tadashi,” she says with a curtsey.

 

Tadashi waves his hand in the air, “No need to be so formal. Please, call me Tadashi. I hope you and I can get along well… I’m going to need as much help as I can get.”

 

“Of course, of course, Tadashi,” she says, steering him into his room. She quickly explains the basics of the room: how to heat it, the bed pan, etc. During that time, a guard brings Tadashi’s belongings, putting them in the room. Rania puts her hands on her waist and says, “Well, I think that’s everything! Why don’t we let Tadashi have some rest? I’m sure it’s been a long day.”

 

Hitoka nods, taking Kei’s hand and pulling him out of the room. “That’s a great idea! Come on, Kei, let’s go bother Tooru.”

 

“I’m Rania, if you hadn’t figured that out,” she reminds him. The two others leave, and she’s close behind. She rests a hand on the doorknob before leaving, and tells Tadashi, “If you need anything, I’m here. I mean it, if you think it’s dumb, I promise I’ve seen worse. I’ll probably bring some water soon, but in the meantime please rest up.”

 

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

 

She smiles, and then she’s gone.

 

Tadashi flops down onto his bed, surprised by its softness. He had been expecting the bed to be made out of something harder, but it’s pure feathers. Suddenly, a sharp prick of pain claws at his head. The pain feels as if it’s coming directly from his brain, like a magnitude 5.0 headache. His vision goes blurry, and he’s dizzy, too. Is he dying right now? That doesn’t make sense. Nothing has happened recently for him to be sent back to the beginning. He hasn’t even drank anything, no way it could be poison.

 

The game freezes. Everything stops moving, there are no sounds. Even the birds have stopped singing. The worst part, though, is that Tadashi also stops moving. He can’t control his body, only aware of his real body. it’s a bizarre sensation — to be both using the virtual reality body, but be able to move his real body and not move in the game. He feels completely unsettled, and on the verge of a panic attack when an intercom buzzes, indicating someone’s about to speak.

 

“Hello, Tadashi. I have some unpleasant news,” the voice tells him. The smoothness and stability of the voice helps to calm Tadashi down. He wonders if that’s on purpose, or a complete coincidence. The voice continues, “Unfortunately, the protesters from this morning have accidentally interrupted all games, and caused this one to malfunction. As of right now, you are currently stuck in  _ Heir, Apparently _ . I am sorry to inform you of this.”

 

Shouyou really should have bought him socks for his birthday. Maybe he really will end up in the news. He had called this! Even before entering the store, had he not said that the protesters would eat him alive? Well, this isn’t exactly eating him alive, but still. He should be a psychic, he’d be great at it.

 

The voice keeps talking, going on and on about the protesters and the mechanics of the game, but Tadashi really isn’t listening. He’s more focused on the voice itself: he’s convinced the voice sounds familiar. Somewhere along the line, he’s heard this voice before, but he can’t place it. 

 

He sighs. Less worrying about the voice, more worrying about his survival. Where does he even go from here? What does this mean for him? Tadashi voices the concerns and asks, “What do I do now?”

 

There’s a long silence, then shuffling. Another sigh — he’s steeling himself to say something, perhaps. That can’t be good. The voice says, “Well, you are going to have to finish the game. From what I’ve studied about the malfunction and this game so far, I can’t just pull you out of the game. There’s a time limit, too. Well, a different time limit, now. This means you have approximately four deaths left, considering how long it takes you to get back to your place.”

 

“A time limit? What do you mean a different type of time limit?” Tadashi asks, confused. He knows he had a two hour time limit from the gift card, though the game  _ should _ only take an hour. That won’t be happening, though. He’s sure he’ll probably stay near the entire two hours but … how could this be any different? 

 

“It’s different because of what happens afterwards,” the voice explains. Another sigh, a grumble, and “From a normal game, the time limit would just kick you out. However, the analysis shows that if you hit the time limit, it would still kick you out. But you’d never make it back to the real world.”

 

Everything is still frozen, but if it wasn’t, Tadashi is sure it would freeze now. He half expects everything to shatter, and this would be apart of the game. A whole, big joke, right? Half of his body feels real, and half of it feels fake. The clash makes this entire situation feel more… real. “Are you saying I would die?”

 

“Uh, short answer, yes. But don’t worry, all you have to do is to finish the game,” he reassures Tadashi. There’s some clicking and more rustling in the background. Tadashi swears he hears a bunch of beeping. Hopefully that’s not a bad sign, like his vital signs dropping dramatically. The voice tells him, “Seriously, don’t worry. Besides, in the meantime, I’ll be working on a solution for this whole mess. I’ll keep an eye on you, too, okay. Also… maybe this will help you from now on. Good luck.”

 

The game shudders, still frozen, but shaking like there’s an earthquake. Acid sloshes in his stomach and Tadashi feels like he’s going to throw up. The feeling is identical to the time he threw up on an airplane. Eventually, his stomach calms down and he feels better. Before he asks what should be helping him, the game stops shaking and unfreezes completely. Everything is back to normal. Except, there’s an addition. He feels a weight around his wrist, and he looks down. A watch. Nothing is on the screen until Tadashi taps the front. The screen turns on, but it doesn’t tell the time. Instead, the watch has his time limit: 1 hour and 25 minutes remaining. A watch that counts down to his death — a great gift, very romantic. Tadashi scoffs. Looking for where the voice came from, he settles for glaring at a spot on the ceiling. Sarcastically, he yells at the ceiling, “Thanks a lot!”

 

“For what?” Rania says, startling Tadashi out of his monologue. He hadn’t even seen her come in. Funny, how it’s still possible to be embarrassed in a game. He sits up from the bed, feeling a little disoriented.  She notices his expression, shows the tray she’s carrying, and apologizes, “Sorry. I promise I knocked, it’s just that you didn’t answer. I also heard voices, and wanted to make sure you were alright.”

 

“No, it’s fine, I’m okay,” Tadashi reassures her, scooting over to sit on the side of the bed. Rania sets the tray down on a table in the corner of the room. She gestures to come eat, still at the table’s side. The warm smell of food fills Tadashi’s nose, and his stomach grumbles in return. He stands, going to the table, and stares at an enormous amount of food. There is no way he could eat all of this. Tadashi looks up, and tells Rania just as much.

 

“I know, it’s a bit of a feast. That’s not the point,” Rania says, her eyes wrinkling from a smile. She knows it’s a secret, and she’s drawing it out as much as possible. Leaning against the wall behind her, she taps the wall a few times. Tadashi doesn’t understand the tapping, but he doesn’t get to ask. “The amount of food isn’t because we thought you’d eat it all, it’s because there wasn’t a feast held in your honor. So, here’s your feast. Welcome to the castle, Prince Tadashi.”

 

Tadashi’s heart skips a beat. He’s not used to such … kindness, or attention — but he certainly could get used to it. With the welcome, Rania bows and heads to the door. Tadashi’s mind is full of swirling thoughts, but one comes out easily: “Do you want to share with me?”

 

Rania stops, but doesn’t turn around. There’s a quiet pause. Tadashi supposes she’s thinking the offer over. Finally, Rania turns around, but doesn’t meet his eyes. In fact, she’s staring at the ground, in another bow, one that doesn’t end. From her position, she says, “Are you certain, Prince Tadashi? I am just a maid, we are not on the same class level.”

 

“Please, join me,” Tadashi says, upset that Rania even had to ask. She even regressed back to calling him a prince. He pulls a chair out for her, gesturing for her to sit. She does, and Tadashi pushes the chair in for her, as well. He had always seen that gentleman type gesture in movies, he’s glad he finally had a chance to use it. Joining Rania at the table, he slides into the chair across from her. He smiles at her, and reaches for the food. His hand stops inches from the bread, hesitating. Is there some kind of pre-dinner ritual here? Or could they just eat whenever? He doesn’t want to be rude, especially in front of Rania. Taking his hand back, he tells her, “You can go first.”

 

Turns out, no ritual. She grabs anything and everything, piling it onto her own plate. Tadashi quickly follows. Sure, there’s a lot of food, but that doesn’t mean he’s not going to try to eat it all. For a moment, there’s no talking, just enjoyment of the food. Tadashi mentally notes to give props to whoever had cooked. Rania clears her throat, and he looks up.

 

“So, Prince Tadashi,” she says, resting her head on her fist. At first, he thinks he’s done something wrong, but she just smiles. She drags it on, obviously enjoying the suspense, before continuing. “It seems you have passed our test — with flying colors, no less. Congratulations, your life will continue.”

 

He’s dumbfounded. 

 

“A test?”

 

Rania nods, shifting her head to rest on the other hand. She stares at him, like she’s trying to determine everything about him. Apparently, she gets the answer she wants, because she explains: “Yes. It was Kei’s idea. If you had treated me badly, he would have killed you. The idea was to get you to share your meal, which you did. But you went above my expectations. You certainly are a gentleman, Tadashi.”

 

Well, apparently that movie tip he always wanted to use came in handy. Tadashi would’ve been nice to her, either way, but he’s  _ really _ glad that he was nice. Dying and being sent back to the very beginning gets annoying real quick. Of course, he’s glad he didn’t die, but he’s also happy that Kei doesn’t have to be the one to kill him.

 

On that note, how cute is he? Threatening to kill anyone that’s remotely unkind to his mother figure. Granted, kind of morbid, but the idea is still the same — he wants to protect her. Being protective is a trait Tadashi really admires in people. Mostly because no one was ever protective of him, and he’s had no one to protect. 

 

“Thank you for saying that, Rania. It’s nice to know that kindness was actually rewarded, for once,” Tadashi tells her, a smile forming on his face. He elbows her playfully and grins. Leaning in, like he had a secret to tell, he whispers, “It’s also nice to know I’m not going to die.”

 

Rania pauses. It takes a second, but she bursts out into laughter. She smacks Tadashi back, playfully as well. “I would certainly hope so! Life is something valuable, and people tend to take that for granted. I wish more people cared about all life, not just their own.”

 

Her voice softens, and Tadashi senses that the mood has changed. She has a story. Something had happened to her. Perhaps, regarding human life, or a death that still haunts her. All characters tend to have backstories, right? Rania could have one, too, Tadashi tells himself. He takes her hand, squeezing it gently. She looks up at him, and he smiles softly. 

 

“Has something happened to you, Rania?”

 

“What hasn’t happened to me, Tadashi?” she asks as a reply. He doesn’t respond, worried he overstepped boundaries. Apparently, Rania notices. She sighs, leaning back in her chair. “Where should I start?”


End file.
